Cook's state honor tops T-N sports stories for 2013

State championships, a professional championship and one huge high school coaching change highlighted 2013 for the Times-News coverage area.

By DEAN HENSLEYTimes-News Staff Writer

State championships, a professional championship and one huge high school coaching change highlighted 2013 for the Times-News coverage area, but one story couldn't have been scripted any better.Former Hendersonville High standout Hailey Cook had a senior year for the record books — literally. She not only led the volleyball team to the 1-A state title in the fall, she swept the discus and shot put titles at the 1-A state championship track meet in the spring.Cook, who is now a freshman at Western Carolina University, wrapped up her high school career with a record 12 state titles (10 individual, two team), and the state took notice. The North Carolina High School Athletic Associated named Cook its 2013 Female Athlete of the Year, and that is our No. 1 local sports story for the year.Here is a list of the other top stories:2. Hendersonville's girls volleyball team earns its second straight state title, giving the school a state record 11 state titles. This title was even more impressive, considering the Lady Bearcats jumped up to the 2-A ranks and were also under a first-year coach, Erica Cantrell.3. The year began with shocking news out of East Henderson: Longtime football coach Brett Chappell announced his resignation to take over the football program at Pisgah. Chappell spent 13 years at East, including the last eight as head coach. In his eight years as head coach, he had a 67-35 record and led the Eagles to four conference titles.4. East football standout lineman Nathan Dalton is the area's lone selection to the Shrine Bowl and is also the area's lone Associated Press All-State pick. Dalton is the sixth player in East Henderson High School history to make the Shrine Bowl team. Other players were Michael Angram in 2005, Ross Shafer in 2004, Bryan Carter in 1984 and Joe Spearman and Anthony Greene in 1978. 5. North Henderson's Mitchel Langford wins back-to-back individual wrestling state titles, finishing the 2013 season undefeated at 52-0. He's undefeated so far this season, and going into this season, his career record at North was 106-2.6. Polk County's football team wins nine straight games to finish undefeated in the Western Highlands Conference. The Wolverines finished the year 9-4, falling in the second round of the playoffs to Reidsville.7. Former East Henderson football player Richard Kent, an assistant for the Sasketchewan Rough Riders, wins the CFL Grey Cup with his team. He is believed to be the first Henderson County native to ever earn a Grey Cup title.8. East Henderson track and field and cross country standout Tanis Baldwin earns the 3200 individual state title at the 3-A track meet and finishes runner-up at the 3-A state cross country championships. Baldwin set school records in both the 3200 run with a time of 9:31 and in cross country with a time of 15:08.02.9. North Henderson senior Cory Foster leads not only the area, but all of Western North Carolina receivers with 1,290 yards. The next closest receiver in WNC had 200 yards less receiving than Foster. He was named the Times-News Football Offensive Player of the Year.10. Despite forfeitting five matches for an ineligible player, East Henderson's boys soccer team rebounds to earn the top seed in the WNC Athletic Conference. The Eagles win their first two playoff matches to make it to the third round for the first time in school history. East wound up losing to the overall top seed, Marvin Ridge, in the third round.

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